Millwall 1–1 Sunderland: Player ratings as lads come back to draw at The Den
Sunderland came from behind to claim a 1-1 draw away to Millwall in an incredibly physical encounter at The Den.
Lions centre back Jake Cooper opened the scoring before Dennis Cirkin equalised for Sunderland.
The Black Cats were on the back foot for the majority of the first half with most of the play taking place in Sunderland’s third of the pitch.
Millwall opened the scoring in the 60th minute in scrappy style. A corner fell to Jake Cooper, who swung a leg at the ball while on the floor and hooked it into the net off the far post.
Sunderland saw more of the ball following Millwall’s opener, though, and equalised in the 81st minute when Dennis Cirkin met Alex Pritchard’s free kick with a brave header that left him concussed.
The draw means Sunderland sit ninth in the Championship, two points off the play-off positions.
Here is how the players rated.
Sunderland player ratings vs Millwall (4-2-3-1)
Anthony Patterson – Made some good saves and dominated his area but had a big let off when his mistake allowed George Honeyman to score in the first half. The linesman's flag came to his rescue, though. 6
Trai Hume – Was caught out a couple of times defensively, but still showed glimpses of his potential. 6
Danny Batth – Dominated at the back in a very physical encounter. He is the most experienced player in the squad and led by example when wearing the armband today. 8
Dan Ballard – Ballard and Batth complement each other very well at the back and are appearing to form a solid partnership. 7
Aji Alese – Didn’t get much of an opportunity to roam forward due to the way the game was played, but was defensively solid. 6
Dan Neil – Barely touched the ball in the first half and wasn’t much more involved in the second half. 6
Edouard Michut – Was bullied at times and lacked physicality in the middle against a very physical Millwall team. 5
Patrick Roberts – Showed glimpses of his talent in an otherwise quiet display. 6
Amad Diallo – Much like Patrick Roberts showed glimpses of his talent that we know he has. 6
Jack Clarke – A flat display from Clarke on a day when Sunderland’s attack struggled to get into the game. 5
Joe Gelhardt – Fed off scraps all game and didn’t we see much of what he is capable of producing. 6
Substitutes
Alex Pritchard – Got an assist on his return from injury and offered a little bit of quality when it was badly needed. 6
Dennis Cirkin – Scored the equaliser for Sunderland but was substituted immediately after following a collision. 7
Joe Anderson – Made his debut as a late subsitiute following the concussion to Dennis Cirkin. N/A
Pierre Ekwah – Replaced Michut to see out the game. N/A
Abdoullah Ba – Too late to really make any impression N/A
Man of the match
Danny Batth – Won almost every header that was thrown his way and didn’t put a foot wrong all afternoon.